BOXING
W
hether you know the
name Tayla Harris or
not, you’ve no doubt
seen that photo of her making an
impressive kick during this year’s
AFLW season. While the image
so beautifully captured the
incredible agility, power and
athleticism of the Carlton player,
it made headlines for all the
wrong reasons after a number
of online trolls made negative
and derogatory comments,
sexualising the sports star.
Although it could easily have
broken her, Harris used the
backlash to start an important
national dialogue.
“It’s definitely something that’s
less about me and more about
the conversation now, which I’m
very glad about,” she tells Foxtel
magazine. “I was very happy to
be the spokesperson for the issue
immediately after it happened,
but then I handballed it on to
everyone else to kind of do their
bit and notice there is an issue
and change it as a nation.”
The positive feedback she
received has been, she says,
an encouraging experience.
“It’s really humbling to know
that I’ve managed to be a role
model for younger and older
people, boys and girls, and not
only in the sporting space,”
she admits with a smile. “That’s
something I’m really proud of.
This is something I can hold
quite close to me for the rest
of my life and say that this
was a moment that was quite
pivotal for society.”
Harris, 22, is a force to be
reckoned with as she juggles
burgeoning careers in both the
AFLW and boxing. With five fights
under her belt, the undefeated
boxer returns to the ring on the
undercard for Tszyu and Ritchie,
fighting sports media personality
and former amateur boxing star
Renee Gartner.
Raring to go after rehabbing
a posterior cruciate ligament
injury, Harris feels stronger than
ever heading into the ring for
the first time in nine months.
“This is going to be the fittest
I’ve ever been,” she says. “I really
think this is going to be my
breakout fight. I get a little bit of
criticism for doing two sports, so
I may as well just show the world
that I’m absolutely a boxer and
I also play footy; I’m not a footy-
playing boxer. Both are my career.
I’m going to have to get on telly
- on pay-per-view, which is pretty
exciting and my biggest event
- and showcase what I can do
skill-wise. I am very confident.”
A force to be reckoned with
AFLW star Tayla Harris proves she can have the best of both worlds when
it comes to her stellar sporting career as she fights on Tszyu’s undercard
TAYLA HARRIS vs RENEE
GARTNER LIVE Wednesday
August 14 at 7pm (AEST) on
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9
Tayla Harris’s bout
with Sarah Dwyer
last November
ended in a draw
Harris’s kicking
prowess provoked
national debate
Foxtel AUGUST 53